A treat for LOTR fans and probably a solid movie if you know nothing about LOTR. I like how this movie stayed focused on a few core characters and took the time to develop them in the story. Thanks to the good character arcs, every big moment is earned. It's an easy story to follow for the casual movie goer. If you're a die hard LOTR fan, the events of this movie make certain events in the LOTR movies that much more impactful. I wasn't a huge fan of the style of animation that was used and the pacing could have been a bit quicker in the first act. After the slower first act, I was hooked until the end.